Social and Emotional Wellbeing of Indigenous Australian Communities - Coursework Example

SWN010 Socio-Cultural Context of Practice Name: Tutor: Course: Date: 1.0 FUNDING SUBMISSION PREPARATION 1.1 Literature on social and emotional wellbeing of Indigenous Australian communities Indigenous communities in Australia are minorities with unique culture and traditions that need preservation in principle and practice. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people’s social and emotional well-being is affected by a number of social health determinants (Carson et al., 2007). Some of the social determinants include racism, individualized and systemized discrimination, and limited access to services, imbalanced power relations, inter-generational trauma and forms of state violence (Henderson et al., 2015). As a result, these minority groups suffer high unemployment, lack of access to justice, health and education, and general lower standards of living. Compared to the mainstream Australian population, Elliot (2015) observes that indigenous Australians continue to experience ill-health, incarceration and higher levels of poverty. A potential trap is the safety nets of welfare payments for lack of employment opportunities where more than 80 percent of these communities live on welfare. The Indigenous communities carry the ‘downtrodden image’ of inequalities which makes them vulnerable to harmful drinking, smoking, poor nutrition and morbidities (Zubrick et al., 2005). Common morbidities associated with this group are many infectious diseases, mental illness, renal disease, cardiovascular disease and diabetes (Lowe & Spry, 2002; ADHA, 2010; Heil, 2003). While the literature on social and emotional well-being of Indigenous communities is broad in scope, a progressive study on these communities tends to lean on their heterogeneity. Their social and emotional wellbeing warrants action on research agenda, measurement and assessment, and the framework of health. People belong to social environments such as workplaces, groups, neighborhoods and government policies (Adams, 2002). On the other hand, social environments can be associated with mortality risks and morbidities (Shaw, 2004). Being socially disadvantaged groups, Indigenous communities are exposed to psychosocial stressors that trigger loss of psychological abilities and ill health. Sensitivity of health to the social environment is influenced by unemployment, stress, addiction, social exclusion and social gradient. Persistence of health inequality among the Indigenous Australian communities results from these social factors (Lowe & Spry, 2002). For more than 200 years, the Aboriginal and Torres Islander people bore the brunt of colonization as well as evolving legislative, bureaucratic and social marginalization (Marmot, 2004). Worse still, the government has failed to improve the health and wellbeing of the Aboriginal communities by showing minimal interest and commitment to their health and welfare. As a result, there is need for interventions to promote their social and emotional wellbeing through efforts that will reduce physical health problems, substance abuse, violence, trauma, loss and grief. 1.2 Key stakeholders Improving social and emotional wellbeing of the Aboriginal and Torres Island people requires the participation and input of various stakeholders. These include the Queensland state government, Cherbourg Community Controlled Health Services, Queensland Child Protection Peak for Indigenous communities, Kingaroy Child Safety Service Center, Department of health and ageing, Aboriginal Australian and Torres Strait Islander agency, elders and senior community members, and the Health Equality Council of Aboriginal and Torres Island people. The rationale of choosing these stakeholders is based on their previous and continued support of Indigenous families and communities across Queensland (ADHA, 2010). Being multi-sectored, the stakeholders work together with communities to provide housing and community support, education and employment, and health. People struggling with the stresses of life are not likely to seek help from support services but prefer instead prefer local businesses, community leaders, neighbors and friends. Therefore, engaging these stakeholders provides financial and moral support for communities and families to trust and work with the newly established service. Having developed some of the most effective strategies and practical solutions, action plans of some of these stakeholders will serve as a baseline. Special acknowledgement goes to the Australian government and the Queensland government who have made a total investment of $5million in service provision to the families of South Burnett region (Government of Queensland, 2015). Although the government plays a significant role in mental health and wellbeing of the Indigenous communities, it requires the efforts of private sector, non-governmental organizations, individuals, families and communities. Achieving improvements demands that a partnership approach is used to acknowledge wealth and expertise of various stakeholders. 1.3 Service delivery approaches, models and theories This service is designed to articulate the approaches, principles and vision of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in delivery of social and mental wellbeing of families and children. Drawn from the Universal Services Framework, the service will have core elements as health promotion, responding to indentified needs, early identification of family risks and needs and health and developmental surveillance. It will assume a holistic approach that draws on the health and culture of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and informed by evidence-based practice and high quality child and family health services. The vision embraces culturally-safe family services, evidence-based practice and high quality child and family services. Moreover, the principles are founded on accountability, cultural respect, and collaboration with various stakeholders, partnership and leadership in service delivery and planning, access and equity (Australian Government, 2016). A Dual Continua Model will guide the mental health and wellbeing of families and children. This is because people with poor mental health are more likely to experience poorer educational outcomes, lower life expectancy and greater family and domestic violence. The system enablers include proportionate universalism of access to care, non-discriminatory and culturally respectful health system, evidence-based practice and development of indigenous communities at all levels of service delivery and governance (Holland et al., 2013). Similarly, the indigenous communities should have equal participation in leadership roles and in delivery and planning of social and welfare services (QMHC, 2016). Government policy on child and family services should be consistent in terms of policy and funding. The framework identifies appropriate care and culturally safe communities through competent organizations and individuals who can work within the cultural context of the Aboriginal peoples. Other approaches include strengths-based approaches, and focus on emotional and social wellbeing, relationship-based care and family-family centered care. The latter will help respond and identify the structures and needs of the individual families. Family relationships among the Indigenous people are complex with the extended family taking care of the children including parents and carers. To enhance the quality and scope of services, there are key elements of service delivery. Interestingly, the children and their families are integral in the considerations of services. The elements include a primary healthcare model that building services hinges upon. Second, a collaborative team-based approach is required because the intervention is multi-disciplinary. Third, the workforce should be culturally competent, highly-skilled and well-resourced. There should be flexible service delivery and continuity of care. Moreover, holistic and comprehensive assessment will ensure that families meet their aspirations and needs through social support services, comprehensive educational services and targeted universal health services. Furthermore, the Kingaroy-based model should be based on integration and collaboration of services. The framework will also define the responsibilities and roles of the stakeholders such as communities, practitioners, service organizations, peak bodies, policy makers and the government. To support continuous improvement, it is expected that stakeholders should have scalable learnings and work in a collaborative manner after developing their own processes, systems and policies. 1.4 Strategies for better service delivery The project will collaborate and cooperate with various practitioners and service providers to facilitate interventions in the South Burnett region. The three strategies for better service delivery are discussed below. Better opportunities: Addressing determinants related to health is one way to create opportunities that will improve mental wellbeing and health. The focus of the services will be to support families and social inclusion through early childhood support services and family violence and domestic support services. Foetal disorders as a result of alcohol will be addressed by targeting children and young people with the disorders. Service improvements will target service centers in Kingaroy area, detention centres and court staff. Funding will be required for specialist support services in Kingaroy, Emerald, Longreach and Tablelands against family and domestic violence. People living with severe mental illness and Older Men’s Groups will be supported in South Burnett and will be offered a range of services to remain connected to their communities. Some of the services include personal development activities, referral services and information access. The intention is to enhance their confidence, participation and skills. Accessible and responsive services: Promoting social and emotional wellbeing requires support services on areas of employment, education and health. The service will support and provide education to customer service staff to respond and be aware of distressed people in remote and rural areas. The service will raise awareness of infant and perinatal mental health in Kingaroy and other areas of South Burnett to meet the needs of families, infants, fathers and mothers. The project will combine outreach and telehealth to provide non-clinical advice and tailored training and education for health professionals. The project will also train and empower youth justice staff who will work in the remote and rural South Burnett region. The improvements required are early intervention strategies to specific issues, drug and alcohol strategic plan, high risk violent and sexual offender resources and resources for delivery of cognitive behavioral interventions for limited literacy in young people. Community strengths: The project will implement resilience workshops for staff in Kingaroy North, Kingaroy South and Nanango. The workshops will include basics of self-mastery and resilience, building calm, mastering emotions and thoughts and exploring the bigger picture. In addition, up to two rural communications will host Wheel of Wellbeing workshops so as to help them build capacities on mental wellbeing and health. To mental health, the project will facilitate mental health awareness training. The aim is to improve awareness among communities on mental health issues. The training will be delivered by organizations specializing in mental health. On suicide prevention activities, the project will increase community awareness by promoting community events and enhance coordination. The project will liaise with Suicide Prevention Australia and will also invite lived experience representatives from the community. 1.5 Personal and professional qualities of staff People with various skills, competencies and levels of expertise will be required to handle the project. As mentioned in the strategies, people with career options as social workers, financial advisors, community practitioners and healthcare professionals will be highly valued. The staff to be hired is expected to have certain skills, values and the vision to create change among the Australian Indigenous communities. The staff should have knowledge and understanding of culture and language of the Aboriginal and Torres Islander people. This is because most of the intervention activities are based in the rural and regional areas of Kingaroy. The staff should be able to guide young people misusing alcohol and drugs by addressing contagion aspects of suicide, create awareness and specific prevention mechanisms. Good communication and people skills are another requirement of the staff. Although Indigenous Australian communities have average understanding of the national and global economy, their social and emotional wellbeing is one area that requirements improvement. Being able to address their concerns on finances, family, unemployment and domestic violence requires good communicators. Social workers should be able to fit to their environment and participate in their daily activities. The staff should have project management skills, negotiation, numerical and psychological and/or emotional stability to cope with the challenges of weather and environment. The project will be partnering with key stakeholders and will require staffs who understand their roles and responsibilities. Workers will be dealing with children, women, disabled and it would be crucial that they become the voices of the community. People with the vision to build community capacities, families and address multiple levels of need are highly valued. Knowledge in counseling and referral support for social and emotional wellbeing will be required especially when dealing with the members of Cherbourg’s stolen generations. Their role will include handling relationship difficulties, extended family members, families and young people. Legal practitioners will also be required to guide and support victims of crime and become essential contacts with criminal justice system. The legal practitioners should also have conflict resolution skills to help in family law disputes such as divorce and separation. Finally, staff with financial and economic grasp will be required to help in the youth employment program, skills-based training and home ownership projects. 2.0 CRITICAL REFLECTION Preparing a report on interventions against social determinants that influence the development of social and mental wellbeing of Indigenous Australian communities is educative and brings their plight closer to our hearts. I learned that as minority communities in Australia, the Aboriginal and Torres Islander people have been isolated and institutionally discriminated. As a result, they have become vulnerable to social determinants like drug abuse, problematic alcohol abuse, suicide, mental illness and mental health problems. I think a number of social barriers such as language and culture, personal resilience and self-reliance have hindered various interventions in the past from being a success. I believe that social barriers are created by stigma which makes it difficult for social workers and other stakeholders to carry out activities, pass messages, and run campaigns. Culturally safe practice in the past has been a setback due to feelings of self-consciousness, intimidation and cultural inappropriateness among the Aboriginal communities (AIHW, 2013). For example, few Indigenous children attend kindergarten because families feel that they are inappropriate and do not inspire understanding and confidence. Organizational barriers such as right staff with professional skills and qualifications, communication and cultural appropriateness can hinder culturally safe and responsive practice. I think Indigenous communities are sensitive to the visual impact of service, hours of operation, use of jargons and language used by staff. Organizations should develop culturally inclusive programs which include staff from the Indigenous communities (Haswell et al., 2013). I believe the remoteness and difficulties in access makes the intervention difficult especially when families feel that past programs have not bore any fruit. Staff with limitations in skills hinders expected educational outcomes, literacy and development of sound foundation competencies. I think that any project or program aimed at improving the social and mental wellbeing of indigenous communities should drawn on social links, on-going cultural ties, shared experiences and family kingship ties of Aboriginal communities. Lack of participation on the part of Aboriginal communities has been a set back because they feel that programs aimed at them is just lip service and public relations gimmick (Elliot, 2015). I think organizations should involve leaders of the Indigenous communities during program planning, implementation and monitoring and evaluation. As a practitioner working with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, I think my cultural and social disposition could affect the way I relate with their families and children. With differences in culture, language and traditions, I may tend to feel the weight of existing social barriers between non-indigenous and indigenous population. I feel that cultural education and training on how to interact with people from different cultures. However, I believe that we need to understand and create confidence among the Aboriginal communities that interventions are targeted at reducing stigma and discrimination after decades of isolation. I feel more indebted to make a positive impact in the lives of Aboriginal children and families by devoting more time and resources towards better outcomes (Holland et al., 2013). I have learned that culturally safe interventions are those that draw on the strengths of the Aboriginal and Torres Islander people to realizing their potential as communities. I think that improving social and mental wellbeing is an act of partnership, collaboration, cooperation and teamwork among members of Indigenous and non-indigenous working groups. References Adams, M. (2002). Establishing a National Framework for Improving the Health and Wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Males. Aboriginal and Islander Health Worker Journal, 26(1): 11-12. Australian Department of Health and Ageing (2010). Third national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander blood borne viruses and sexually transmissible infections strategy 2010-2013. Canberra: Department of Health and Ageing, Australia. Australian Government (2016). National Framework for Health Services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Families. Australian Government, Canberra. Available at: http://catsinam.org.au/static/uploads/files/national-framework-for-health-services-for-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander.pdf Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2009). Measuring the social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), Canberra. Carson, B., Dunbar, T., Chenhall, R. D. & Bailie, R. (2007). Social Determinants of Indigenous Health, Allen & Unwin, Sydney. Elliot, D. (2015). Health Needs Assessment Mental Health and Suicide Prevention. Central Queensland, Wide Bay Sunshine Coast PHN. Available at: http://professionals.ourphn.org.au/sites/default/files/uploads/MH-Suicide1516-WEB.pdf Government of Queensland (2015). South Burnett: Stocktake of Family Support Services in Queensland. Available at: https://publications.qld.gov.au/storage/f/2014-05-27T05%3A00%3A46.542Z/stocktake-of-family-support-services-south-burnett-catchment.pdf Haswell,M.R., Blignault,I., Fitzpatrick,S. & Jackson Pulver,L. (2013). The Social and Emotional Wellbeing of Indigenous Youth: Reviewing and Examining its Implications for Policy and Practice, Muru Marri, UNSW, Sydney. Heil, D. (2003). Wellbeing and Bodies in Trouble. Situating Health Practices within Australian Aboriginal Socialities, PhD thesis, The University of Sydney, Sydney. Henderson, G., Robson, C., Cox, L., Dukes, C., Tsey, K. & Haswell, M. (2015). Social and Emotional Wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People within the Broader Context of the Social Determinants of Health. Beyond Bandaids. Available at: https://www.lowitja.org.au/sites/default/files/docs/Beyond-Bandaids-CH8.pdf Holland, C., Dudgeon, P. & Milroy, H. (2013). The mental health and social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, families and communities, Canberra, National Mental Health Commission. Lowe, H. & Spry, F. (2002). Living Male: Journeys of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Males towards Better Health and Wellbeing, Northern Territory Male Health Reference Committee, Casuarina, NT. Marmot, M. (2004). The Status Syndrome: How Social Standing Affects our Health and Longevity, Bloomsbury, London. Purdie, N., Dudgeon, P. & Walker, R. (2015). Working Together: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health and Wellbeing Principles and Practice. Australian Government: Department of Ageing. Queensland Mental Health Commission (2016). Queensland Rural and Remote Mental Health and Wellbeing: Action Plan 2016-18. Available at: https://www.qmhc.qld.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Queensland-Rural-and-Remote-Mental-Health-and-Wellbeing-Action-Plan-2016-18.pdf Shaw, M. (2004). Housing and Public Health. Annual Review of Public Health, 25: 397-418. Zubrick, S. R., Silburn, S. R., Lawrence, D. M., Mitrou, F. G., Dalby, R. B., Blair, E. M., Griffin, J., Milroy, H., De Maio, J. A., Cox, A. & Li, J. (2005). The Western Australian Aboriginal Child Health Survey: The Social and Emotional Wellbeing of Aboriginal Children and Young People, Curtin University of Technology & Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, Perth. Read More